2014 Monastic Institute Presenters

Imagining the Future: Monastic Life in 2020 | June 29 - July 3, 2014

What is the appeal of monastic life in contemporary society? How does monastic life generate hope within and outside of the cloister walls? In a world hungering for security and love, the time-tested practices of the monastic tradition bear witness to the reality of God among us. The call to community offers an alternative to the fluidity, fragmentation, and isolation weighing upon many in our fast-paced global society. Our speakers bring a wealth of experience and a diversity of perspectives on the importance of monastic life for our times.

Sr. Jeana Visel, OSB

A northern Illinois native, Sr. Jeana Visel joined the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana in 2003. A recent graduate of St. John's School of Theology and Seminary, she works at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana.

Topics

"On Pilgrimage without a Map: The Grace of Now"

"Leaven for a Weary World: Charism at the Service of Communion"

Abbot Matthew Leavy

Abbot Matthew Leavy, a native of Bronx, New York, entered the Benedictine Order at Woodside Priory in California in 1968. He earned a doctorate in Formative Spirituality from Duquesne University in 1981. He was elected Abbot of Saint Anselm Abbey in Manchester, New Hampshire in 1986 and served in that role for more than 26 years, retiring in 2012.

Topics

"The Paschal Mystery as Matrix for Monastic Living"

"The Paschal Mystery as Matrix for the Future of Our Monastic Communities"

Bonnie Bowman Thurston, Ph.D.

Bonnie Bowman Thurston, (PhD, U. of Virginia), lives quietly near Wheeling, WV having resigned the William F. Orr Professorship in New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2002. Her doctoral dissertation was Thomas Merton. She has written many scholarly articles on Merton and given retreats and lectured on Merton widely in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Europe. Among her recent books are The Spiritual Landscape of Mark (Liturgical Press), For God Alone: A Primer on Prayer(U. of Notre Dame Press), and Belonging to Borders: A Collection of Celtic Poems (Liturgical Press).

Topics

"A Sign of Contradiction to the Fashionable Idols: The Contemplative's Vision"

"A Sign of Contradiction to the Fashionable Idols: The Prophet's Voice"

Lawrence S. Cunningham, Ph.D.

Lawrence S. Cunningham is John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology (Emeritus), Notre Dame University. The author or editor of twenty-six books, he edited Thomas Merton's journals (1952-1960) for publication and is currently working on a book on the theology of prayer.

Topic

"Nova et Vereta: Monastic Perspectives from the Lay View"

Victor Klimoski, Ph.D.

Victor Klimoski, (PhD, U. of Minnesota) is the Director of the Conversatio Lifelong Learning Program at St. John's University School of Theology and Seminary. As a recognized leader in seminary and pastoral education (recipient of the NCEA's John Paul II Seminary Leadership Award in 2005), he is the co-editor of Educating Leaders for Ministry: Issues and Responses (Liturgical Press, 2005). Also as a poet and writing coach, he has published What It Might Mean (2012) and A Month in Kilcar and Poems of Other Places (2013).